Driven by increasingly ambitious regulations in North America and around the world, the future of the mobility industry is being shaped by a growing need for improved fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Lightweighting – the process of reducing the weight of a vehicle via a variety of engineering efforts – has emerged as a viable strategy to help original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) reach these new standards across nearly all vehicle platforms.

Developing a top-notch, award-winning, and widely-accepted engine is not an easy feat. It takes a great deal of design work, utilization of state-of-the-art components, a sharp focus on industry standards, and forward thinking in terms of where the marketplace is headed. Creating an engine of this caliber is a lengthy process, and one that, above all, requires effective data capture and analysis.

With new standards to meet, the commercial-vehicle industry is looking to new, high-level technologies to increase efficiency and improve fuel economy. The Spicer®AdvanTEK®Dual Range Disconnect™ concept from Dana combines the best of both worlds by offering high performance and dependable traction with reduced drivetrain losses.

Dana engineers have paired up with Detroit-area entrepreneurs through a mentorship-driven technology accelerator to help foster the next generation of innovators in the transportation industry. Techstars Mobility, driven by Detroit will bring new technologies to market that address the future of moving people, goods, and services.

In our last Mobility Matters post, we discussed big data’s infiltration of nearly every industry, along with the importance of breaking down massive streams of information into smaller scopes to detect patterns and discover new insights. The second part of this conversation further explores data filtering and considers strategies that may help fleet managers overcome uncertainties to recognize the benefits of a prognostic approach to data.

The practice of collecting and analyzing information began long before the digital age. But today’s culture of 24/7 connectedness combined with more sophisticated, less expensive technology has allowed big data to infiltrate nearly every industry.

Within a large and complex data stream, telematics takes data to the next level by weeding through to find the most useful information. In the transportation industry, telematics has been adopted to monitor a variety of factors, from fluid levels to vehicle suspension.

This can be attributed to many factors – government regulations, adoption rates of innovations, availability of financing, labor costs – but the primary reason is the local preferences of equipment buyers. Simply put, if the buyers of equipment either perceive they don’t need or aren’t prepared to invest in the added benefits that advanced technologies can provide, it doesn’t make sense for manufacturers to offer machines with them.

The global automotive industry continues to focus on developing cleaner, more highly efficient powertrain technologies to meet strict emission standards and consumer desire to pay less at the pump. The demand for alternative and fuel-efficient combustion engine powertrain solutions shows no signs of slowing, and a forecast from J.D. Power and Associate’sstrategic partner LMC Autmotive predicts that by 2025, 36 percent of new passenger vehicles in the global market will have alternative powertrains. J.D. Power also states that the remaining 64 percent of passenger vehicles will be equipped with conventional gasoline engines with much more fuel-efficient transmissions.

Once unimaginable, vehicle development alliances between OEMs are quickly becoming the new normal in the light-vehicle industry today, and this is a trend that is expected to accelerate in the years ahead.The alliance between Renault and Nissan formed 15 years ago is picking up momentum, and by 2018, 70 percent of the companies’ models in the United States are expected to be produced under the...

In our last Mobility Matter’s post, the benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) as an alternative fuel were discussed. The second part of this discussion, presented below, delves into the barriers to adoption and discusses some of options currently available to help overcome...

With an array of vehicle powertrains – gasoline, natural gas, diesel, fuel cell, electric, propane, and more – now powering our vehicles, it’s imperative that auto suppliers are experienced with a range of powertrain platforms to ensure they are prepared to meet the demands of the vehicles of tomorrow.

While the market is dominated by gasoline and diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG) is gaining attention from manufacturers. Composed mostly of methane, CNG is cleaner burning than the other...

Demand for Material-Handling Products to Grow by 8 Percent through 2016

The mood among visitors and exhibitors alike at the CeMAT intralogistics trade show in Hanover last month was quite positive, with the Freedonia Group predicting global demand for material-handling products climbing 4.0 percent annually through 2016, and MHI forecasting 8.0 percent growth in U.S. material-handling equipment manufacturing in 2014 and 9.0 percent...

Henry Ford found monumental success with vertical integration when he developed the assembly line strategy for mass car production in the early 1900s. In the early days of the automotive industry, manufacturers invested heavily in the development of their own manufacturing processes, technologies, equipment, and parts.

This approach made sense when vehicle portfolios were narrow and volumes were high. However, in today’s highly specialized marketplace with wider consumer preferences, lower volumes, and global supply chains, automakers are looking forcollaborative partnerships with Tier 1 suppliers that spur the research, development, and delivery of innovative parts and technology.

Impressions from CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 on the growing worldwide construction industry

Nearly 130,000 people attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 in Las Vegas this year. The event set records for exhibit space, number of exhibitors, and education tickets sold while marking the second-highest attendance in the show’s history.

While the construction industry is becoming more global, construction equipment is certainly not becoming universal.The front-end loader used on a building site in London is far different from the front-end loader found in Shanghai – even if it is made by the same manufacturer.

While increasingly stringent fuel economy standards are always a focus for the light-vehicle segment, they are top of mind for the U.S. trucking industry as well. Last month, U.S. President Barack Obama called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) to create and issue new fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles by March 2016.

In a statement issued by the White House, President Obama said that while heavy-duty trucks only account for four percent of the vehicles on U.S. highways, they are responsible for about 25 percent of on-road fuel consumption.

U.S. President Barack Obama proposed a “year of action” in his 2014 State of the Union address, which focused mostly on healthcare, employment, and immigration reform. However, the president also touched on his commitment to the energy strategy and minimizing oil dependency. He emphasized how far the nation has come in terms of decreased energy usage, reduced carbon emissions, and improved fuel efficiency...

Just because governments around the world are pushing for lower emissions and increased mileage from vehicles doesn’t mean consumers are ready for smaller cars with less powerful engines. In fact, just the opposite is happening...

Welcome to Mobility Matters, Dana's new blog on all things technology. Here, we'll share our thoughts on innovations shaping the global vehicular industry today and in the future. We'll examine trends and megatrends impacting the technologies being developed, new discoveries, and interesting observations we've made at industry events.

This is a technology forum where you can interact with our technical experts, as well as exchange and challenge ideas. We hope you enjoy the content and get involved in the discussion.